Means for cutting off towing cables and the like



Nov. 20, 1945. s. a. A. MANDIN INVENTOR.

Filed May 25, 1945 MEANS FOR CUTTING OFF TOWING CABLES AND THE LIKEATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 20, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEANS FORCUTTING OFF TOWING CABLES AND THE LIKE Sven Gustaf Adolf Mandin,Norrkoping, Sweden Application May 25, 1943, Serial No. 488,392

In Sweden March 18, 1941 Claims, (01. 164-47) back is avoided by use ofa device in which the knife is Provided with an annular edge or with twoparallel edges and is fixed to, or adapted to be actuated by a pistonmovable in a cylinder, said plunger being by means of a locking pinadapted to be retained in a position in which a edges of the knife aremoved aside from the guide of the cable.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanyin drawing, in which Fig. lis a lateral view of an embodiment according to the invention, and Fig.2 is a vertical section on the line 11-11 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fr m nry sectional view similar to Fig. 1 showing a form of the cutter.

In the drawing, the reference numeral i indicates a cylinder in which aplunger 2 is displaceable. One end of a strong spring 3 abuts againstsaid plunger, the other end of the spring is engaged against thecylinder bottom 4 which is provided with a central aperture 5 throughwhich a threaded rod t fixed to the plunger 2 is freely movable. A nut 8provided preferably with a handle i is screwed on to said rod 6. To theplunger 2 there is fixed a cutter 9 with an annular or preferably twosubstantially parallel "edges Hi, said knife being displaceable in aguide it fixed to the cylinder 5. Said guide extends transversely to anannular or tubular guide 12 for the cable 53, said guide 92 beingprovided with a transverse recess it, the edges it of which cooperatewith the cutter edges it.

Naturally, the plunger need not be fixed to the cutter. It may also beadapted to strike against the cutter.

On the outer side of the cylinder wall an inner member H of a Bowdencable to, leading for example to the pilot's cock-pit, is fixed to aprojection E5, the end surface it of the sheath of the Bowden cableresting against one end I9 of a two-armed lever lit-2t which isswingably mounted in a projection 2! on the cylinder I, the other springacting on the plunger is tightened and the leverv arm 20 traversing anaperture 22 of a looking pin 23 or the like for the plunger 2, said pinpassing through the wall of the cylinder i. Thus, the lever Iii-2U andthe Bowden cable constitute a distant control device formoving the pin23 aside.

To prevent an unintentional moving aside of the locking pin, the deviceis provided with a safety device consisting for example of a stop member24 fixed to the inner member 25 of a Bowden cable leading for example tothe pilot's cock-pit. The sheath of said Bowden cable is fixed to a,projection 26 on the cylinder 5 and the stop member is in lookingposition inserted in the path of the lever iii-20 and prevents the samefrom moving.

Of course, the stopping of the lever'li-Jt can also be obtained in anyother suitable way.

The device operates in the following manner:

The nut 8 is turned in such a manner by means of the handle '5 inrelation to the cylinder i that the threaded rod 6 is drawn outandthereby tightens the spring 3 until the locking pin 23 can be insertedbehind the piston 2 and retain the same in such position that the edgesid of the cutter 9 fixed to the piston have been moved aside fromtheguide i2 and the cable it can be passed through said guide. Then thestop member M is inserted between the lever arm, i9 and the cylinder 1and the nut is screwed to the position indicated in dot and 'dash linesin the figure, whereafter the device is ready to operate.

When the cable 83 is to be cut ofi, the stop member 24 and then thelocking pin 23 are moved aside, whereafter the cutter 9 is fiung by thespring 3 so that the edges It of said cutter cut oif the cable incooperation with the edges it.

It might be suitable that one edge ill of the cutter is higher than theother it (as shown in Fig. 3) so that the cable is first out 01? by thefirst-mentioned edge, the other edge acting as a reserve edge.

The invention is not limited to the shown embodiment. Thus, the lockingpin for retainin the piston may for example be arranged so as to engagea recess of the threaded rod 6. Although the invention has beendescribed 'as a device for cutting a towing cable for aircraft it willof course be understood that it is capable of use for cutting any cable,rope, twine, etc.

Having .now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Pat ent is:

1. A device for cutting off towing cables and the like, comprising atubular cable guide having spectively cooperating with the edges of saidrecess, said cutter being aflixed to said plunger.

3. Means for cutting off towing cables and the like comprising a tubularguide for the cable, a transverse recess in said guide, a cylinderhaving its longitudinal axis'in alignment with said recess and at aright angle to the axis of said tubular guide, a plunger in saidcylinder, a spring in said cylinder, a locking pin engageable with saidpiston to hold same in position to compress said spring, a cutter havingtwo edges located between said plunger and said tubular guide in aposition to be propelled by said plunger into said recess when thelocking pin is removed, and means for removing said locking pin torelease said plunger.

4. Means for cutting of! towing cables and the like comprising a tubularguide for the cable, a transverse recess in said guide, a cylinderhaving its longitudinal axis in alignment with said recess and at aright angle to the axis or said tubular guide, a plunger in saidcylinder, 9. spring in said cylinder, a locking pin engageable with saidplunger to hold same in position to com press said spring, a cutterhaving a circular cutting edge located between said plunger and saidtubular guide in a position to be propelled by said plunger into saidrecess into cooperative cutting relation with an edge thereof when thelocking pin is removed, and means for removing said locking pin torelease said plunger.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1 having one of said cutter edges at ahigher level than the other. SVEN GUSTAF ADOLF' MANDIN.

